The Hundred women’s opener: Oval Invincibles beatManchester Originals – live reaction! | Sport

And more: “Ooops so T20 after all, with 5 ball overs,” says JMH. “Can’t see the differentiation apart from the overt commercialisation and the terrible, garish, on screen graphics. The actual cricket was fine…the format every bit as dire as expected.”

I struggled with the graphics too, but my kids loved them. I think that counts as a marketing win.

And a final word from our friends in Iceland:

“Was super entertaining night of sport! We Google all unfamiliar terms as match go on.

“Well produced, commentary helpful and professional and we enjoy following along in addition on Guardian.

“Well done to all!

Pizza excellent!”

You did email me! A couple of thoughts:

“I’m quite enjoying the cricket, it’s turned into a decent match.” writes Craig Foley. “My wife is sitting next to me completely nonplussed by it all though which is probably not what the marketing folks had in mind.” I reckon the market gurus allowed for a few outliers!

And a very good point from Oliver Smiddy: “Wasn’t this all supposed to be done and dusted by 2100?I thought that was an absolutely critical element of making it more broadcaster and family-friendly?

“How on earth they expect to get a men’s game over the line by that time (given longer run-ups, bigger sixes etc) is beyond me.”

How far over were they? I wasn’t quite keeping time, I’d guess five minutes? And you’re right, I’d have thought the men would be 8-10 minutes longer . Definitely something to keep an eye on.

And the Hero of the match is Dane van Niekerk. She says, “It was great to have so many coming out to support this inititaive. The fans pushed us over the line. One of the top moments of my career so far. Personally I panicked a little bit, I thought we were behind the eight-ball a little bit.” Something nice about Kapp and Villiers, then “ I thought it wasn’t the easiest wicket to bat on but if you played really good cricket shots you could do it. All the bowlers got stuck in”

The crowd was a record for a women’s domestic match in England.

98 balls: Invincible 139-5 (Villiers 16, Van Niekerk 56) Villiers slams four then a jubilant van Niekek sends a flying edge down past deep third. A dream start for the Invincibles and a dream start for The Hundred!

95 balls: Invincible 130-5 (Villiers 11, Van Niekerk 52) Ecclestone starts with a wide -or is it a stumping? no just the wide. Then Maddie Villiers: up, up and over! Dancing down the pitch and up into the fuschia sky. Six needed off the last five and it is going to be captain Kate Cross! Dream finish.

90 balls: Invincible 120-5 (Villiers 4, Van Niekerk 50) Cross plumps for Hartley, and it nearly pays off but van Niekerk is dropped at backward square – it’s a cover your eyes moment. Then van Niekerk booms her for four through extra-cover. A handful of singles. A marvellous fifty for Van Niekerk. Sixteen needed off ten balls.

85 balls: Invincible 112-5 (Villiers 3, Van Niekerk 44) Relatively expensive from Ecclestone, 10 runs, but a key wicket. Kapp goes the ball after swatting Ecclestone for a huge six. A wide too: don’t mess with Sue.

A sharp piece of work behind the stumps by Threlkeld.

80 balls: Invincible 101-4 (Kapp 31, Van Niekerk 39) Van Niekerk reverse-sweeps Emma Lamb’s first ball for four, then it’s tip and run.

I disagree with this from Ian Naylor. I agree that the men’s game would have had a bigger crowd – I believe its a sell-out for tomorrow’s game. But starting a competition with a women’s game is just such an amazing statement. It shows such trust. I’ve never seen it in my 48 years. A gamble , but I think they’ve just about pulled it off?

75 balls: Invincible 94-4 (Kapp 31, Van Niekerk 39) One, two, no ball, dot, one. Cross on the money again.

70 balls: Invincible 88-4 (Kapp 29, Van Niekerk 36) Kaur has another bowl and it is not her night in the field.Kapp has a swipe and Du Preez misjudges, leaps in the air and escorts the ball over the rope for six! 48 needed off 30.

65 balls: Invincible 78-4 (Kapp 20, Van Niekerk 305 At mid-on Harmanpreet inexplicably drops a catch off JAckson’s second ball, Van Niekerk punishes her with a lofted drive for four.

Rob Grey thinks the presentation has a bit to learn: “Getting used to the format, can see that the overall package may be more accessible, but the presentation lacks any data equivalent to required run rate. A two axis graph of runs/balls could be used to map the two teams perhaps, I’ve not even seen an equivalent of Manchester at the same stage of their innings yet. Without this I think there is a major gap in presentation currently.”

60 balls: Invincible 72-4 (Kapp 19, Van Niekerk 30) Kapp pulls an eat-me ball from Lamb powerfully for four. Just another four singles.

55 balls: Invincibles 64-4 (Kapp 13, Van Niekerk 28) Hartley is parcelled through cover for four by Kapp, but then pulls it back and only goes for antoher two. The win predictor is 18 Invincibles: 82 Originals.

50 balls: Invincibles 58-4 (Kapp 8, Van Niekerk 28) Kapp smears a low full toss square for four.

An email wings its way over from Iceland. Hi Sigga!

“Just FYI a group of us lady sports girls in Iceland watching and enjoying match.

“We I think have rules sorted and our pizzas on the way so I say is successful format.

“None of us ever play cricket as not common game here but as support women’s sport
we checking out and will watch more!”

I’m so glad! And enjoy the pizzas – extra mushrooms?

45 balls: Invincibles 52-4 (Kapp 3, Van Niekerk 26) Ecclestone shows why she’s rated so highly, turns the screw and they can’t get her away. She’s now bowled ten balls for two runs. Cross whips her off now though, saving her for the end.

40 balls: Invincibles 51-4 (Kapp 2, Van Niekerk 26) Not Harmanpreet’s best piece of work: slammed for two fours by Van Niekerk, pulled with power.

35 balls: Invincibles 41-4 (Kapp 1, Van Niekerk 17) Cross has the swagger tonight, but Van Niekerk isn’t going without a fight, cutting her down past a

flailing
diving Alex Hartley at third.

Lamb in the action again, catching by her ankles at short mid-wicket. As for Kate Cross -3 wickets for not much – she’s living the dream.

30 balls: Invincibles 35-3 (Adams 12, Van Niekerk 12) Hartley’s back, and van Niekerk slam-damns her over long on.

David Wall taps: “i’m not sure about the format (i don’t see why they couldn’t have added the pops and whistles to a new T20 contest, called it the ‘120’, and saved all the animosity). but i liked the snark in the explanation of DRS. Were the Premier League watching?” Ha! And yes, I agree, but the 120 wasn’t the marketing dream.

25 balls: Invincibles 26-3 (Adams 11, Van Niekerk 4) Ten from Lamb’s over, including a grass-kissing snorter of a four from Adams.

20 balls: Invincibles 16-3 (Adams 2, Van Niekerk 4) A superb over from Jackson, one of Manchester’s non-contracted players. Doesn’t bleed a run until her last ball which van Niekerk sends spinning through cover for four.

With her very first ball! And a superb leaping pas-de-chat from Harmanpreetat mid-off.

15 balls: Invincibles 12-2 (Adams 2, Wilson 4) It’s Sophie Ecclestone, the best spinner in the world. Adams can’t get her away, four dots and single. Cross rotating her bowlers with aplomb and its going to be Laura Jackson.

10 balls: Invincibles 11-2 (Adams 1, Wilson 4) Wilson greets the hat-trick ball with a dabble down to fine leg for four. Nicely done.

Tries to nudge her into the on side and loses her stumps! Hat-trick ball!

Capsey wriggles to the right, goes for the scoop and sends it straight to the keeper. Makes the grim-faced walk back.

5 balls: Invincibles 5 -0 (Adams 1, Capsey 4) Georgia Adams, daughter of Chris, and Alex Hartley, 16 and waiting for her GCSE results march out. Capsey biffs her first ball straight back over bowler Alex Hartley’s head and for four. You go girl!

More from Raf: “There’s a brilliant atmosphere. Feels like a party. Never seen The Oval like this for a women’s game.”

I think we’re about to restart. The official attendance is 7,395 -(10,000 turned up for the first T20 at The Oval for comparison) and Becky Hill in a sequinned tangerine mini-dress belting out a hit from the stage. The players are dancing and look like they’re having a ball.

Hello Abhijato Sensarma! “So all it took Harmanpreet Kaur to rediscover her long-lost form was playing in the inaugural match of a completely new cricketing format! Who could have known :’)“

“Hi Tanya,” Hi Sam!

“Picture you’re a 7 or 8 year old. You’ve only got 3 or 4 keys points of information on the screen to look at – how many runs, how many balls and how many wickets. Fun for the old fans, easy for the new fans. Perfect. Just what it needed to be.
Can’t wait to go to Old Trafford on Sunday!”

Grudgingly, you could be right. I’ll take another view when I’m not doing the OBO…I’m going as a punter on Wednesday.

100 balls: Originals 135-6 (Cross 12, Griffith 2) An eventful final five as Ecclestone misses a swipe, makes contact the next ball, hitting over long-on, before she was beaten going for another. Griffiths does well to shovel two from her one and only ball! So that’s 136 to win for the Invincibles: could be a challenge… but frankly I’ve no idea! Back very shortly.

Smart! Ecclestone shuffles out of her crease to a why-not slog and her bails are smartly whipped off.

95 balls: Originals 126-5 (Cross 11, Ecclestone 4) We have a six! The first of the Hundred as Kate Cross swings the bat and the ball sails over Farrant’s head. She’d done something similar earlier in the over, but without the elevation. Nicely done!

90 balls: Originals 113-5 (Cross 0, Ecclestone 2) They need another 20 if they can from these last ten balls. Let’s see what the captain can do.

Smash the rat, Du Preez pans the ball but without the muscle, straight to Villiers.

85 balls: Originals 108-4 (Du Preez 7, Ecclestone 0) Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first time out! The coach comes out in his face mask – don’t forget the pandemic in all the fun – and they huddle. There was one four, a full on welly to the boundary from Du Preez.

A dinky sweep to short fine leg

80 balls: Originals 103-3 (Du Preez 2, Harmanpreet 29) Dani Gregory, long dark plaits, Heidi plays cricket. And she’s good, Kaur can’t get her away until the last which she glides down to third man and the fielder can’t stop it getting over the rope. Tasty shot.

75 balls: Originals 98-3 (Du Preez 1, Harmanpreet 24) A big wicket, and just a couple of singles. I’d have thought they’d want 130 from the 100.

Lee has a getting-towards-the-last-chapter swing ,and is caught at cover.

70 balls: Originals 96-2 (Lee 42, Harmanpreet 24) Pure class! Harmanpreet suddenly flicks on the international light: four fours: through long-off, fine leg, the covers, and the best of all, with the fastest bat in the west, through the offside. Villiers is not amused.